At the turn of the 21st century the tactics Israel's enemies were using against the Jewish state had changed.

Palestinians, ground down by years of occupation, advanced from the stone-throwing which had characterised the first intifada and began to launch attacks on one of the most powerful symbols of that occupation – the Merkava tank.

Several groups successfully destroyed the tank. It was no longer invincible. This was a lesson that would not be lost on Hezbollah in Lebanon.

During the 2006 war, Israel's aim of crushing Hezbollah and preventing it from firing rockets into Israel failed.

Following the damage done to the Merkava's prestige after the campaigns in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and Lebanon, questions are being raised in Israel over the project's future, which has cost an estimated $6.5bn since its inception.

The Merkava – like the separation wall in the West Bank – represents the thesis that Israel's security lies in military strength. The uncomfortable truth is that such an approach may be perpetuating the cycle of violence, rather than bringing the lasting peace most Israelis crave.

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